Jalapeño egg salad recipe

This week, I’ve been plowing through my book’s page proofs, making corrections and cuts where needed. Unfortunately, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and when I turn in the proofs next week, I know that I’ll want more time.

But then I saw this Chinese proverb, “Were I to await perfection, my book would never be finished,” and I laughed because this is so true.

So what does this have to do with egg salad? Not a lot, except that it’s spring, which for me always signals a time for fresh beginnings and an opportunity to throw out the old to make room for the new.

That’s how I feel about my book right now—it’s time to send it along to make room for a new project in my life. And yes, eggs are a symbol of rebirth, which is why they’re so closely associated with my favorite spring holiday, Easter.
When I was young, my family and I would spend the week before Easter decorating hard-boiled eggs by dipping them in vinegar and food coloring. Sure, the eggs were fun and festive, but the best thing was having a refrigerator filled with leftover eggs.

Now, I don’t like hard-boiled eggs in too many things—whenever they pop up in meatballs, gravies, or soups, I tend to eat around them. But a plain, unfettered hard-boiled egg is probably the perfect snack—it’s portable, healthy and comes in earth-friendly packaging.

Of course, I tend to embellish and often I’ll take that egg and doctor it up a bit with some mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeños to make a salad. I started doing this back when I was in high school, and it’s been a favorite snack every since. It’s good as a dip with tortilla chips, though it also makes for a fine sandwich, especially with slices of avocado and bacon.

These days, I don’t often decorate eggs at Easter, but I still love hard-boiled eggs. And for the next few days, in between doing rain dances for the dry parts of Texas and finishing editing my proofs, I hoping this jalapeño egg salad will keep me satisfied and energized.

will be dippin' the eggs, hiding them and hopin' they will be a save item after possible, probable overhandlin' … but! lisa, you've said you soon after arrival in houston (or 'yewston' as a friend from corpus christi says) you go to your favorite tex mex spot … can you share? will have to accept if you can't!

There's a place called Twin Sisters here in San Antonio that puts jalapeno in their egg salad, and I love it! Hadn't tried to make it that way yet, but will definitely give this recipe a go. Maybe I'll use it for deviled eggs for Easter. 🙂

My Opa introduced me to the Jalapenos in everything you wouldn't have thought of before theory and it promptly led to potato salad. However, I would not have thought to put mustard and cilantro in! yum!

ps- Your cookbook is going to be fab, I mean your site is already beautiful so it stands to reason the book will be stellar!

I love everything in this recipe and will make it Easter afternoon or Easter Monday. Thanks for the prayers for rain. Where I live (Brenham),we are considered exceptional on the drought scale. Cattlemen are selling off because of the lack of grass and stock tanks drying up. Sad.

"Barbara–There's a place in Cypress called Amelia's that I adore. I also love Ninfa's on Navigation."

On the road towards Texas as I checked back on your notes … in Flagstaff, AZ grabbing some free wifi to check mail … thanks for sharing these, have already cut'n'pasted and put into an email to myself with googled info re. each.

And … I've preordered your cookbook to be sent as soon as it is released … YES! definitely going to be getting one too for my sister … and other 'appreciate-ors'! How sweet & spicy it is!

OH! & have colored hard boiled eggs on ice traveling with me. When my sister & I get to Marfa, we'll pick up the other ingredients and make egg salad a la lisa … aka. jalapeno egg salad!

Hi Lisa,I just got back from Texas and it WAS really, really dry. This is the only spring in memory that it didn't rain at all during our trip.I thought of you when I was in Houston. I ate a great meal at the El Real Tex-Mex Cafe. Have you been there yet?

We always dye easter eggs, too, and then we put them in an easter egg bread that we eat on the Sunday morning. My kids only like the dying-part and the bread part, though; hence, I have a lot of uneaten hardboiled eggs in my refrigerator. Does an egg salad require freshly boiled eggs?

I'm so looking forward to your book! I have no doubt that it will be pretty darn close to perfect.

Thanks for the rain dance! It's so pathetic, hot, and dry down here right now; it seems like half of the state's on fire. Yesterday just outside of SATX it was 95 deg. prior to 11 a.m. Lord have mercy!

I just made this with some tweaks. I had some really good, fresh chili powder from a local spice shop, so I subbed that for the cumin, switched the mustard out for Cholula, and, since I didn't have any green onion, skipped them and doubled the jalapenos. Strangely, it's not that spicy, but terribly good. We're eating it now on pretzel crisps. Thank you so much for the inspiration!! I'm anxiously awaiting your book.

Bee–I haven't been back to Houston since it opened, but I'm eager to try it. What's Easter egg bread? Is than an English tradition? I'm intrigued! And thank you for the kind words about the book–I hope you like it!

We were surprised to have had all these ingredients in our cabinets so decided to make it a.s.a.p! It was SO delicious! The cumin added a great touch and, of course, the jalapenos were perfect in it! Can't believe we never thought of this when we are obsessed with jalapenos and eggs! Yum!

Archives

Categories

Never miss a recipe!

Related posts

Instagram

My latest book!

Queso has arrived!

Queso (aka chile con queso) is a spicy, cheesy, comforting favorite that's long been a delicious addition to any gathering. This appealing and accessible book features a mix of down-home standards and contemporary updates, from historical, regional, and Mexican quesos to vegan and dessert quesos. A must for all queso lovers!